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" Pretty much everyone I know drinks seltzer. I pour a glass after lunch, as an afternoon-pick-me-up. My\u00A0coworker\u00A0Lindsey\u00A0weaned herself off a Coke addiction by switching to\u00A0fruity San Pellegrino sparkling\u00A0water. Another friend drinks soda water religiously\u00A0at both casual bar nights and\u00A0fancy\u00A0dinners, regarding it as a chic\u00A0upgrade from the still stuff.\u00A0But apparently all us seltzer lovers aren&amp;#039;t doing our teeth any\u00A0favors.\u00A0Yep, it turns out\u00A0seltzer\u00A0can be just as harmful as soda when it comes to wearing away tooth enamel.\u00A0 Soda water&amp;#039;s beloved bubbles contain carbonic acid, and it can\u00A0gradually deteriorate\u00A0your teeth.\u00A0For comparison, flat water contains a pH level of 7, which is completely neutral. A bottle of unflavored Perrier clocks in about 5.5, which is pretty acidic, the Atlantic reports. But it&amp;#039;s the fruity flavors\u2014especially citrus\u2014that be even more harmful to your pearly whites, as they\u00A0contain\u00A0even more\u00A0tooth-rotting acid.  If you don&amp;#039;t believe us, take a look at this 2007\u00A0study from the International Journal of Pediatric Dentistry, which exposed teeth to flavored sparkling water for just 30 minutes. The results show seltzer\u00A0to be just as corrosive as orange juice, and the authors commented:\u00A0\u00A0&amp;quot;It would be inappropriate to consider these flavored sparkling waters as a healthy dental alternative to other acidic drinks.&amp;quot; Before you freak out, take some advice from Damien Walmsley, a professor of dentistry at the University of Birmingham in England. &amp;quot;There is a theoretical risk of tooth erosion, but the drinks would have to be consumed over a long period of time.\u00A0My advice is to keep acidic drinks to meal times, and if you have to sip drinks between meals, then plain water is the safest,&amp;quot; he told the Atlantic.\u00A0  There are other tactics\u00A0to consider as well. The\u00A0corrosive power of the acid is affected by how much acid and sugar you consume in your overall diet,\u00A0as well\u00A0how much fluoride you get\u00A0from tap water and toothpaste.\u00A0Andrew Swiatowicz, a dentist in Wilmington, Delaware, told the Atlantic\u00A0that\u00A0sugar-free beverages are not going to be a main cavity-causing factor for\u00A0an average healthy person.\u00A0&amp;quot;If you are at all concerned, you can always dilute the carbonated water with regular water,&amp;quot; he said.\u00A0&amp;quot;Or even just swish with regular water after.&amp;quot; Follow Delish on Instagram. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/food-news/a45857/seltzer-rots-your-teeth-like-soda/>